August 28, 2015
Chocolate Fudge Cake with the BEST Chocolate Frosting ever!
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A moist chocolate fudge cake sponge, topped & filled with THE BEST chocolate frosting you will ever make!
So let me introduce to you the only chocolate fudge cake recipe that you are ever going to need. I realise saying that this contains the BEST chocolate frosting ever is quite a statement, but I honestly think it is – its so delicious! I also realised after my Facebook requests post that I hadn’t actually posted my go-to chocolate cake recipe!
This recipe is what I’d make a bruce cake out of to make a Matilda cake, it’s the cake I would use when I am craving chocolate, it’s the recipe I would use if you want something epic and indulgent – it is epic.
A classic bake
When I posted my recipe for my Victoria sponge – celebration cake I knew you all loved the classics, so I hope this suits well too! However, this cake is so much more indulgent. You can easily make a chocolate version of my Victoria sponge, but this is definitely more dense, and more chocolatey. It’s basically heaven in a bite.
This is the sort of cake that you want to have a slice, and then shove it all in your face. Yes its gooey, and has many more ingredients then you think it probably should have, but it is WORTH IT. Honestly, worth it. It also does seem a little faffy, but again.. its worth it!
Layering it up with the best frosting on the planet, and you will want to devour every single crumb. Because of how it bakes however, it can often take a long time in the oven, and even sometimes less. It’s all down to the mixing!
The cake mix
This recipe will sound like a lot of ingredients, but it’s worth it. Melt the chocolate and butter, and then mix everything into one big bowl… you don’t need a mixer for this bit.
- Chocolate – when making this, you want to use dark chocolate in the mixture for best results. I always use 70%+
- Butter – unsalted butter, or baking spread, will work for the sponges
- Coffee – this is mentioned below, but trust me…
- Flour – I use plain flour, as your raising agents come elsewhere so you don’t need self raising flour. It’ll make the sponge too delicate
- Cocoa – I like my cake super chocolatey, so I add this in as well as the chocolate
- Raising agents – baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda for this beauty of a cake
- Sugar – a mixture of brown sugar and caster sugar is wonderful – all of one, or all of the other works perfectly though
- Eggs – I use medium eggs in my baking, but 3 large would work instead of 4 medium
- Buttermilk – this is an important ingredient – you can make your own though with 1tsp of lemon juice mixed into 75ml milk
Coffee
Chocolate cake is one of those classics that you don’t want to mess with, but sometimes they can be terrible, or not chocolatey enough, or just not moist enough. I have seen over the past few months that people use coffee or instant coffee in a chocolate cake of forms to make the cake more moist and chocolatey – so I tried this!
I personally cannot taste the coffee, and neither could my family – however, If you don’t like coffee, or never buy it then no worries – you can use just water, but the depth of flavour might not be the same!! Please please PLEASE trust in using the coffee though – I really am sure that you will love it! It just makes it basically the best sponge ever!!!
The BEST EVER frosting
The magical ingredient in the chocolate frosting is the evaporated milk – I discovered this after trawling through the internet for hours on end and found a couple of mentions that it might be better – and holy smokes it was.
- Butter – for this frosting, you MUST use a block butter. You do not want to use any form of spread
- Sugar – icing sugar, as always
- Cocoa – a nice rich cocoa powder is best, I use a 100% cocoa powder
- Vanilla – a little bit of vanilla, as always again
- Evaporated milk – this is so important. Condensed milk is not a substitute, if you can’t get evaporated milk, add double cream whipped in really well, but it’s still not quite the same
Tips & tricks
I do NOT use an electric mixer for this cake recipe, because it will most likely over do it. I just do each bit by hand, and then fold it all together to get a thick fudge cake that bakes to perfection. However, a mixer is good for the frosting side of things!
It is very soft, so it can be difficult if you want to spread the cake in buttercream, so I find its easier just to make layers. If you do want to cover it, you’ll need to refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to firm it slightly first, and it’ll be easier
- This cake will last for 3-4+ days at room temp
- You can freeze this cake for 3+ months
- I use this cocoa powder
- I use this dark chocolate
- I use these cake tins for this bake
Chocolate Fudge Cake with the BEST Chocolate Frosting Ever!
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 225 g dark chocolate
- 225 g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
- 175 g plain flour
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 200 g white/golden caster sugar
- 200 g light brown sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 75 ml buttermilk
Chocolate Frosting
- 250 g unsalted butter (not stork)
- 500 g icing sugar
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100-125 ml evaporated milk
Decorations
- Sprinkles
- Anything!
Instructions
For the Cake!
- Preheat the oven to 160ºc/140ºc fan and grease & line two 8″/20cm cake tins – leave to the side.
- In a heatproof bowl, microwave the dark chocolate & butter until melted
- Pour the coffee granules into 125ml boiling water and mix – add the coffee to the chocolate/butter mix and stir well until smooth!
- In a separate large bowl add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarb, sugars and mix well so the ingredients are all mixed with each other well
- Mix the eggs with the buttermilk – and then add all the ingredients together and stir
- Pour the mixture into the two tins and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes (can take a little longer in some ovens)
- Once baked leave to cool in the tin and remove afterwards
For the Frosting!
- With an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until its very smooth and supple (couple of minutes)
- Gradually add the icing sugar & cocoa powder alternatively with the evaporated milk until all is incorporated and add the vanilla essence – beat for a couple of minutes so its extra smooth & creamy.
- The more evaporated milk you add the more runny it’ll be, and I have found about 100ml-125ml is perfect for me! If it's a little hotter weather however, you may find you need less!
For the Decoration!
- Decorate your cake how you like and ENJOY! I spread half my buttercream on the first cake, add the second sponge and repeat!
- And then I sprinkle on all sorts of sprinkles!
Notes
- This cake will last for 3-4+ days at room temp
- You can freeze this cake for 3+ months
- I use this cocoa powder
- I use this dark chocolate
- I use these cake tins for this bake
ENJOY!
Find my other Cake Recipes on my Recipes Page!
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J x
© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.
I don’t have instant coffee, just freshly ground coffee. Could I use 125ml of this black coffee?
Yes, as long as it’s strong!
Hi Jane – I’ve made cakes (square for Minecraft theme) but want to cover the sides. – how much extra icing would I need for this? (23 cms square)
Hey! this cake sounds amazing! Will Dutch pressed cocoa work okay or does it need to be different? Trying to work out if I can use other ingredients i have in the house.
Hi can I freeze the sponge as need to make in advance and if so how would you store for best outcome please. I would like to make it a week in advance.
Yes you can! I always double wrap sponges in clingfilm, and then foil, and freeze!
The cake fell apart….. never happened to me before. Went?
Hey! In what way do you mean? It’s a delicate sponge so you need to be careful with it when moving it about x
Wanting to make this over the weekend for my daughter’s 3rd birthday. Can you help me adapt this for two 6 inch tins. How do I adapt the cooking time ? Do I need baking bands? Will it be the same temp?
Thanks in advance! X
Hi how would I make this into a 3 layer? I have 3 x 8” tins
Please help! I’ve just made this for my daughter’s birthday in 2 days and it’s come out like a brownie. It’s extremely fragile, didn’t rise much in the tin and seems quite gooey. I’m not sure where I went wrong. I followed the recipe exactly and am usually pretty successful at baking! It is possible I under-mixed it? I was worried about over mixing so maybe I mixed to little….
Hiya! This can be because of under mixing but also under baking – this is a denser cake as it’s a fudge cake so it won’t be super light x
Hello,
Could the icing be made black? I am looking to create a black icing cake that can also be piped on the top?
Thanks.
Hey Jane!
I never normally leave comments but with this cake I just had to, what a FANTASTIC recipe- thank you so much! The cake was heavenly and the condensed milk addition to the frosting made it just so good. An absolute showstopper, so tasty! Your recipes are always so reliable and I know that they can be trusted for great results. Thanks so much!
Can you warm this cake up in the micro, like other fudge cakes?
Does anyone know if you could use self raising flour in this recipe instead of plain flour, or would this not work?
Hiya! You need to use plain flour, not self raising. x
I’m wanting to make this as a 10inch cake how would you adapt the recipe?
Hi Jane
What percentage of cocoa in the chocolate do you use- i have 70% or should i go more?
Always 70% or more! x
Hiya, I’m planning on baking this however I’m unable to find dark chocolate for baking which is 70% or more. I have dark chocolate from the baking aisle but it only has 54%. Will this be okay? I’ve always used this for other bakes before so hoping it will be okay! Thanks x
Made the chocolate back to basics recipe which is great but used the frosting recipe from this cake which is beautiful. Can I freeze this buttercream and also would you be able to do anormal buttercream recipe and add evaporated milk.
Love your recipes
Hiya! All buttercream can be frozen for 3+ months and then brought back to room temp and mixed again.x
Hi, I’ve just made this cake for the second time for my birthday cake, it was perfect again, but my boyfriend pointed out that there’s no salt in the recipe? Or any of your cake recipes. Can I ask why you don’t add salt to any of your cake recipes? Thank you!
Hiya! This is just how I’ve written the recipes and what I perfer, though if you’d like to add salt the of course please do! Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane, I would like to make this cake in a roasting tin roughly A4 size, doubling up the recipe, would I be able to slice the cake through the middle to add the cream or would the cake be too soft and fall apart? I have both your books, would a different recipe be better, what would you recommend. Many thanks for your great recipes and advice.
Oh wow made this for my Husband’s birthday and everyone loved it. Tasted delicious. I have both your books and have baked a lot of your recipes. The instructions are easy to follow and all turn out amazing. Never had a fail yet. Thanks Jane x
Hi I have made a basic chocolate sponge but would like to use this filling would it be chocolaty enough or should I add some melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder ? Thanks x
Will dark brown sugar be ok instead of light?
Yes this should be fine, it will just change the flavour ever so slightly! Hope this helps! x
Would this cake be suitable to stack? I’m looking at doing an 8inch and 6inch? Or would it be too soft?
It will be supported with dowels.
Thanks very much
Hiya! Yes, if supported with dowels then it should be fine! Hope this helps! x
How much would increase this recipe by to make a 3 layer 10inch cake?
Hi, I made this cake last night and this morning (2 layers last night and 2 this morning). Both times it took over an hour to cook and was a brownie like crust on top, however skewer came out clean and seems nice and soft. Followed the recipe to a T and mixed it just enough to get rid of any lumps so don’t feel like it was overmixed. Any idea why it would come out like that on top? Thank you.
Hiya! As this is a fudge cake – these are naturally denser and with a more ‘brownie’ like texture. Hope this helps! x
Just made this evening and mine also took waaaay longer
than stated. My oven is old but other JP cakes come out
amazingly well. Also mine domed a lot on the top, not as
thick a cake but smell pretty good.
With lashings of frosting and sprinkles, I don’t think anyone is going to judge me for the height of my sponge 😉
Hi my comments keep deleting for some reason so apologies if I have posted 3 times. I have three questions. I made this chocolate cake for my friends 7 year old daughter and have frozen the sponge and now been thinking maybe the coffee flavour might be too overpowering for children? Would you say that’s right? Also I have stupidly added self raising flour rather than plain. Is this sponge ruined? Plus if I do take the coffee out do I still add the water? Thanks Dawn
Hiya! How did it turn out? Also, the coffee is not overpowering at all you can’t taste it I promise, its to enhance the chocolate flavour! Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane
I made this for my husbands birthday and he absolutely loved it. I’m hoping to replicate it for my sons 1st birthday! But he is allergic to eggs, is there any alternative to the eggs in the recipe. Thanks
Hiya! Unfortunately I have not tried this recipe vegan before. Sorry! x
Does it matter if I don’t have buttermilk and cannot make the substitute?
Hiya! Sadly the buttermilk is an important ingredient for the raising agent and the end results. Hope this helps! x
Hi do I need to use all dark chocolate as I have half dark and half milk here. I’ve made it loads with the dark but I haven’t brought enough dark this time
Hiya! For best results, I recommend using all dark chocolate yes – at least 70% cocoa! Hope this helps! Team Jane x
I used lactose free greek yoghurt instead of buttermilk – turned out fabulous!
Tried this, but when turning out the sponges and then trying to frost them, the sponge disintegrated rendering it someone useless! What did I do wrong? The middle of the sponge was nice and moist?
Hiya! This cake is sadly naturally more delicate. Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane
Can I use stork instead of butter for the cake mixture? Or will this dry the sponge out a bit? Thanks 🙂
Hiya! This will be fine – just be sure to use unsalted butter for the frosting! Enjoy! x
I want to make a chocolate pomegranate cake for a birthday. Can I swap out some of the liquids for pomegranate juice and how would you recommend doing this? Or is there a better way to do it? I’ve made this recipe before and it was great, this time I’m going to try increasing the recipe to make it 3 layers and using a firmer buttercream.
Thank you 😊
Hi Jane! This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe! I am planning on making it for my Mum’s birthday in November – but have a couple of questions! Do you know how this freezes? Have you tried it and found that it effects the texture? Secondly, I was planning on using it as the base tier of a two tier cake (your pistachio and white choc cake for the top). Providing I dowel it correctly etc, do you think this cake would be ok as the base tier, as I know how delicate the crumb can be.
Thank you! 🙂
Hiya! It freezes perfectly – for up to 3 months! And this should be absolutely fine, hope this helps! x
Hey Jane, if I want to cover this completely with the frosting and then load chocolate on top after doing a drip, will I need to increase the quantities for the frosting to do a crumb coat and cover? By how much?
Hiya! I would increase it by double just to be safe – however this frosting is very soft so may not withstand a drip very well! Hope this helps! x
Hey! Did you try this in the end? How did it turn out? I was hoping to do the same for my son’s birthday cake!
Hi Jane. I’ve just made this cake and the cake is stunning but not sure on the icing. This is the first time I’ve ever used evaporated milk. I followed your instructions to the letter but found the icing to somehow separate from the cocoa? Every time I’d put a spatula through it the milk would be apparent at the top and the icing was darker at at the bottom. Is this normal? Does this mean it’s separated? I’ve tasted it and it’s not grainy …
Hiya! How have you mixed it? I sounds like it isn’t quite beaten together properly yet! Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane,
I’ve made this a couple of times and it’s delicious. Is it possible to cover the whole cake in a white chocolate buttercream? If so, how would I adapt the buttercream or is there another recipe you’d recommend? Sorry if it’s already been answered, I tried reading through the comments but there are a lot 🙂 Thank you!
Hiya! Yes absolutely worth a go – take a look at my White Chocolate Drip Cake recipe. Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane, this is a fantastic recipe, quick question how would i scale this this down for a 6inch tin please?
Many Thanks
Hello Jane,
I read most of the comments but there are so many that I couldn’t find exactly my query. So I made your cake and it is sooooo crumbly I understand why etc from your previous answers, so I was wondering as I always do. I will freeze them and when I want to decorate with frosting will do so still frozen so the cakes don’t crumble even more. Is that a good plan? But as the frosting for this recipe won’t keep it all together as you said before – shame as it sounds amazing – should I crumb coat it first, refrigerate and then use the frosting for this recipe inside and on top only? Or do you recommend I use a completely different frosting recipe of yours? Thanks for advising, I hope you see my post before Saturday, for my sons birthday. Best wishes and I love all you recipes btw Mayna
Hiya! Freezing the sponges to then decorate is a great idea – and once thawed it should hold fine! Hope this helps! x
Hi,
How would I scale this up to make a 10” cake please?
Hi!
I’m wanting to make this as a 3 layer 10” cake. How can I scale this recipe up for that amount?
Thanks!
Hi
Hoping I can make this and turn it into an Easter cake with chocolate fingers around the edge and mini eggs on top. Will the frosting be OK for this?
Thanks xx
Yes absolutely you can! Enjoy! x
Hey Jane….lovely recipe and i’d like to make it but I have 2 questions before I start. #1, being in the US, can you please tell me what Golden Caster Sugar is. I see you have 200 g Light Brown Sugar in the recipe as well. I know regular caster sugar is fine white but I haven’t heard of golden caster. #2. In the frosting you have 250 g Unsalted Butter (not stork) listed. What is meant by not stork? I am not familiar with what that means. Thank you for the recipe, it looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try it out.
Stork is like margarine, not suitable for butter cream. You could use white caster sugar or super fine sugar 😊
Hi Jane,
Is the buttermilk a must in the recipe or can I opt out? thanks
Hiya! Buttermilk is an important ingredient in this recipe so you cannot leave it out – however you can make your own with lemon juice and whole milk if you prefer. Hope this helps! x
Can you pipe this icing or is it too soft? I’m making 18 number cakes and want to pipe between layers and on top before adding chocolates to the top.
Hiya! It can be piped, but it is not firm. So it may be worth using maybe 2/3 of the evaporated milk (and you MUST use block unsalted butter to make it!) and that should help! Also chill the cake in the fridge for a bit to firm it up after you have piped the frosting on!
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I would like to ice the outside of the cake aswell – would I need to double the frosting quantity?
Hiya, yes this would work! However the frosting is quite soft – it may be best to refrigerate the cake before decorating to help! Hope this helps! x
Thank you, also, I wanted to use white chocolate for this recipe – should I leave out the cocoa powder and use a bit more plain flour?
Thanks
X
Hiya – that won’t work so well for this unfortunately, the cocoa content of the chocolate is very important!
Hi Jane ! Would I be able to use the 400g , 8 egg method for this recipe , If so would I need to double up on any of the other ingredients? X
[…] bars, NYC cookies or easy-peasy fudge. If you’re looking for a showstopper, her recipe for a chocolate fudge cake is the best I’ve tried and her gelatine-free cheesecakes actually set. And finally, […]
Hi, in order to make this gluten free would you just swap the flour for a gluten free alternative or would you add something else like xanthan gum too?
Hiya, Yes i would add the kanthan gum! Hope this helps! x
Hi Jane,
Could you use nutella instead of dark chocolate for this cake? Or would it not work as it is a different consistency…. I know you have a Nutella cake recipe but I wanted to put nutella in the actual batter.
Thank you:)
Hiya! No, you need to use the dark chocolate x
Hi Jane! Could this recipe be amended to make it chocolate orange or would it ruin it? The texture is amazing, not to mention the taste and the frosting is the best ever, so I want to make it for my friends birthday but she has requested chocolate orange so thought I would ask ☺️
I don’t know for definite but I’m pretty sure you could add orange essence and it would be absolutely fine!
Hi Jane! Love your recipes and your new book rules! I made this cake for my boss’ birthday in the office (when we were still there haha) and it went in double quick time! How I could amend this recipe to chocolate orange, request for a friends birthday this time and the texture and taste of this cake and frosting was just unrealistic would like to replicate if I can! Xx
Hiya, I’m so glad you all loveed it! To make this chocolate orange, you could try adding the zest of 1-2 oranges, or 1tsp of extract. Hope this helps! x
I’m going to make this for my husbands birthday tomorrow. Do I have to use real butter for the frosting? Will a vegetable alternative/Stork work as well?
Thanks!
For this frosting, you MUST use block unsalted butter as anything else is far too soft! x
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it during the week for a work colleague who was leaving. It was absolutely delicious. I baked it in 3 tins and it looked fab. Your recipes are always outstanding and this is definitely my new go-to chocolate cake recipe. Thank you so much again (also absolutely love the book, the new recipes are great)
Hiya! Aw you are so welcome I am so glad you love my recipes that makes me so happy! Enjoy the book x
Hi Jane, I see this recipe has coffee granules in the sponge. They recipient of this cake doesn’t like coffee annoyingly, so does it taste much like coffee? Or should I leave it out?? Xxx
Hiya! I personally cant taste the coffee at all, it just helps to bring out a moister and more chocolatey flavour. If you really don’t like coffee, you can use just water, but the depth of flavour might not be the same!!x
Hi Jane! I was going to try this at the weekend, and use up some condensed milk that I had left from another recipe. Can I swap the evaporated milk for the condensed milk? Thanks!
They don’t work in the same way unfortunately – double cream is the best alternative!
Hi Jane, would this work as a tray cake in a 30 x 23cm tray. Thanks 🙂
Have a look at my traybake version of the cake x
[…] that I love and that is easy to bake is the chocolate fudge cake from Jane’s Patisserie. It is just such a treat to cut a big slice, heat it and add a scoop […]
Hi Jane when I was baking the cake yesterday I totally forgot to add the cocoa powder, will it make much difference to the cake? Just wondering if I should bake another one this morning, it’s a birthday cake for someone. Many thanks
If it baked okay I would just roll with it as it saves you having to bake it again! x
Will this recipe work for cupcakes?? Xx
Have a look at my chocolate fudge cupcakes recipe on my blog! x
Hi Jane! Love your recipes! Was wondering how many eggs I will need for a 2 layer 6” tin? I know you said 2/3 of the recipe but it comes out as 2.6 when I work out the eggs so it is best to use 2 or 3? X
I would use 2 and a yolk x
Hi Jane, delicious recipe, thank you! I found mine slightly weak when stacking and it seemed to be about to break on me. I think it had sunk a little too which would tell me underbaked or overworked maybe? Still tastes unreal! I want to make it for a friends bday and am worried it may not stack well as a 3 layer. I will use chocolate ganache instead of the frosting in this particular recipe just so its a bit firmer but still nicer than regular buttercream. Do you think it will hold well in 3 layers if i bake it correctly this time? I gave it like 43 minutes or thereabouts with additional oven thermometer showing 140 but i think its slowly dying on me and needs replacing soon so could have been an oven issue.. Anyway, any advice for friends cake would be greatly appreciated, thanks
Hey, I would say bake for a little bit longer but refrigerate the sponges before decorating so that they are firmer as they are delicate x
Excellent recipe. Tastes amazing but I now need to make it gluten free. Any tips on which flour to use?
Thanks
Hiya, you can use a really good quality gluten free flour like Doves Farm but unfortunately I haven’t tested it as gluten free yet so I am not certain on it xx
Hi Jane!
Made this yesterday and it truly is amazing!! Felt like eating it all – wasn’t able to rest till it finished! Lol Thank you for the recipe- it’s now my go to recipe for choc cake!
Wow this is a truly amazing cake! Made for my husbands birthday and everyone thought it was delicious and were asking for the recipe. It turned out perfectly. Thank you!
Ahh thank you so much I am so happy it went down so well xx
Hi Jane,
How would you scale up this recipe to make 3 layers in 8″ cake tins?
Love your bakes!
Thanks so much 🙂 x
Hiya! Use 1.5x the recipe. Aww thank you so much!xx
I’m making this cake for chocoholics but also cover the sides of it. Will this amount cover it or do I need extra?
Hello you might need another half but also the frosting is a lot slacker than normal so it may not work xx
HI Jane,
What type of dark chocolate would you recommend?
Thanks x
Hello! 70% or darker x
I’m just wondering could u possibly use spur cream instead of buttermilk
No you need to use buttermilk x
Really disappointed with this, yes the cake is super soft and moist but you can absolutely taste the coffee. It tastes like burnt coffee. I didn’t even put the full table spoon in as I hate coffee. I had a piece 15 minutes ago and can still taste it in my mouth. 🙁
I’d make it again but definitely leave out the coffee.
How strange! No one else seems to be able to taste it, perhaps its just a personal taste!xx
Delicious cake – the best thing I’ve ever baked! No one could taste the coffee – you were right.
Topped mine with Peanut M&Ms and Twirl Bites – and the frosting is sooo delicious.
Hi
I want to bake this but as a 6 inch cake rather than 8 inch.
Could I just split the mixture between 2 6inch tins? If not, how should I scale down?
Thanks x
Hello! A 6inch recipe is usually 2/3rds of an 8 inch xx
Hi, this sponge is super delicious. How come it got a crackly top like a brownie? Thanks.
Hello! This could mean that there was too much air in the mixture. I am so glad you enjoy the sponge!x
Hi Jane,
I have two 7” tins and only require 6 slices of cake, do you think it would be ok to just half the recipe?
Thanks,
Resh
Hi Jane, I made this cake yesterday and it was delicious!
I have been asked to make it again but in two 10inch cake tins, I’m just wondering what measurements would you recommend?
Thanks!!
Hi, I’ve made this a few times, each time, whilst delicious, the cake sinks… I’ve troubleshooted but cannot get it right!
Any tips please?
This is honestly my favourite chocolate fudge cake recipe ever! So rich, moist and fudgey. Absolutely delicious and not difficult to make. Thank you Jane!
Yayyy I’m so glad you love it, thank you so much!xx
Hi Jane,
I am not able to have dairy, what could I use in place of buttermilk? Thanks
Hello! You can make your own vegan buttermilk by using soy milk and 1tbsp of Lemon juice, mix them together and let them sit for 5 minutes before using x
Hi Jane
Can I make the cake today (thursday) and keep in airtight tin and frost and eat on Saturday?!
Just wanted to be prepared.
Hii! Yes you can x
Hi, would it be possible to pipe this butter cream? to have the same effect as some of your other cakes such as the mini egg chocolate one.
It can do, see my chocolate fudge cupcakes, but it won’t withstand much weight of another sponge on top so may not work brilliantly x
Hi Jane. If using large eggs ,how many would I need please? Absolutely love your bakes, they’ve always turned out beautifully 😍 many thanks!
Hiya! 3 large eggs will be fine, enjoy! x
Can I use coffee from my coffee machine instead of granules?
Yes! x
I really want to bake a bigger version of this cake. Can I double the recipe? I want to use the cake and buttercream then a chocolate drip.
I really want a fudgey chocolate cake for a 40th cake
Please help! Thank you
You can double and bake into four tins for a taller cake – but the frosting is quite soft and may not stand up well for a drip cake x
Made this in 8″ cake tins, didn’t even use the full amount of ingredients I used 3/4 mixture. The cake was everywhere in the oven. I need to buy deeper tins.
I’ll have another go with new deeper cake tins.
That sounds like you used sandwich tins which you be too thin!
Hi Jane. Always follow your recipes and they come out amazing everyone. If I wanted to split this into 3 8″ layers do u think this would..I guess with thinner layers? I don’t want to alter the recipie in any way I’m too scared! And with the decoration you advise that the butter cream is too limp and would would hold a choco drip either??
It would work, but yes they would be thinner! But no, this frosting is too soft for a good drip cake in my opinion!
Could I double this recipe to make a multi tiered cake and then chill a lot to put buttercream on the outside for a drip cake style ?
I wouldn’t say this frosting is the best because its very soft so wont give a strong finish for a normal drip cake!
Absolutely delicious and 100% you cannot taste the coffee (as I don’t like coffee) Can I just ask, how do you know how much milk to add if you alter the amounts? Is I 1 tbsp for every 100g of ingredients?
Do you mean for the frosting? Yes that should work! And so glad you like it!
This cake was an absolute hit! You cannot taste the coffee at all my next cake will be the mini egg one for my lovely work friends in the nhs that have worked very hard for the last year thank you for sharing all these fab recipes 😘😘 I’ve already used a good few cheese cake recipes your fudge recipes and cookies all were fab xx
Hi Jane,
I have one 20cm (small) tin and a 22cm tin, how would you recommend going about this?
Thank you x
Hello! What is the depth of the 20cm tin!x
Hi Jane!
I just wondered what the toppings are on this cake? The white chocolate balls look yummy! I am planning on making this cake for my boyfriends birthday next week.
Thank you 🙂
They were actually giant chocoball sprinkles! Any actual chocolate works well though!
Hi Jane! I’ve made this recipe before and love it. How could I alter it to make it for 3 6 inch cake tins? Thanks!!! Xx
I would use the recipe as it is but split between the 3 6″ tins! x
How much buttercream does this make? Is there plenty for the middle and the top?
Yep it makes plenty! What you see in the photo is all the frosting used x
I’m a Brit in America. We don’t have golden caster sugar. Any advice on what to substitute it with? Still haven’t managed to make the milkybar cheesecake as no decent white chocolate here 😞
You can use regular caster, or light brown soft in place! And that sucks!!! xx
This was hands down the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. Absolutely delicious with the gorgeous icing. It took 1 hr 15 in my oven, but I think that says more about my oven than anything else! I managed to get the icing to stick around the outside and decorated it with chocolate fingers and loads of different treats on top – perfect for my daughter’s birthday. Thanks!
Hi Jane, your cakes are amazing! I made this for my dad’s birthday and it was a real hit! I want to make it for my son’s birthday, but as a two tier cake using 2x 8’’ tins and 2x 6’’ tins, would that work? Thank you so much 🙂 x
So as the cake is much softer than a normal sponge you would need to dowel the cake and use a cake board in between the layers! For the 6″ sponges it would be about 2/3 of the recipe (but I am unsure of timings!) x
Hi Jane, would this work as a chocolate orange fudge cake? I have used this recipe loads and it’s my favourite chocolate cake, and I’d love to make a chocolate orange version, but I wasn’t sure if orange would affect the coffee, and if it doesn’t, how much orange extract would you add?
The orange would be fine! I would use 1.5tsps x
Hi Jane
Can you check the cake is done by the clean toothpick method? Just asking as I wasnt sure if the stick is supposed to come out clean as it’s a fudge cake!
Thanks
The skewer should still come out clean when baked!
I love this cake, also like making as the tin loaf,
I am going to be making this cake for my little boys birthday but want to fondant ice over the top to decorate, do you have any suggestions as this is my first time doing this?
Oooh.. I will say this cake isn’t the easiest base as it’s very soft, and so if the frosting! You’d have to bake and fill the cake, and cover with a thinner layer of frosting as a crumb coat, and then probably freeze the cake for a while to firm it up enough to add fondant on top!
Love this recipe, I have left over frosting, is there anything I can make/do with it? I hate wasting things
It can freeze! x
HI jane
I’m making this for my husbands 25th Birthday, I have some Icing props to put on the cake and wondered if they will stick on fine with just adding butter cream at the sides. Would adding more butter cream down the sides make this a little sickly?
Thanks! Mariam x
The frosting on this cake is quite soft so may not stand on the sides too well is my only reservation – unless you add less evaporated milk to make it slightly firmer!
Hi, I’ve tried your chocolate fudge cupcakes which are amazing by the way! I wanted to try this one next in two 4” tins, do I need to change the recipe slightly to go with this or will it be alright how it is?
You would DEFINITELY have to reduce the recipe by at least half! (In reality, volume wise you would need about 1/3 of the mix as 4″ tins really are small!) X
Hi there. I am dying to try this cake recipe. It looks delicious but I only have two 6×4 inch cake tins. Would this work in these. Thank you
I usually say to use about 2/3 of a recipe for 6″ tins – the risk with not changing it is that the sponges may not bake so well in the middle (although they will eventually, just takes a long time!) x
Should I double the recipe and bake in 4 tins if I want a good size drip cake?
Yes!
Hi Jane. I’ve made this cake before and so delicious so yah ja for the recipe. I need to make it as an 8 inch drip cake. Do you recommend doubling mixture and bake in 4 tins to get 4 good size layers please ? Thanks x
I’ve made this cake and it’s amazing! I know the sponge is soft and crumbly but do you think a normal butter cream would work as a crumb coat and then to ice it so it can be like a drip cake ?
As long as you really chill the sponges first, so they are easier to crumb coat, it would work!! x
Hello! Would the frosting pipe well onto the cake like a buttercream would?
Many thanks! 😊
It is slacker than most, so it depends what piping you want to do. Best bet is to reduce the evaporated milk slightly so it’s firmer x
For homemade buttermilk, Would I just use the same amount of regular milk with lemon juice added please? So 75ml of whole milk with some lemon juice? Can’t wait to try xx
Yes that is correct – I would use 1 tsp lemon juice for that amount of whole milk x
Hi Jane! I love love love this cake in the traybake version, it’s always a major hit at work. I brought loads of Oreos and was wondering if the Oreo buttercream recipe you have on your blog will be suitable for this cake? I note you have a separate recipe for the Oreo cake but I just love the buttermilk in this cake as it is so so moist so wanted to use this a base. Love love love your recipes thank you so much for sharing!
You can use whatever buttercream you want with whatever cake really! This sponge is soft though so its worth chilling before decorating with the Oreo buttercream as its thicker and harder to spread than this one.
Hi, could i use stork for the cake sponge? Or would it have to be block butter?
Yes you can use stork
I love chocolate. But I have to say this was a little too much for me and my palette. My mother however couldn’t get enough of it! The chocolate frosting! LOVED IT!
Hi, I was just wondering if it work to coat the outside of the cake with this frosting or would it work better with a buttercream? Thank you 🙂
This frosting is definitely slacker than a normal buttercream so you will struggle to get the perfect finish – you could add slightly less evaporated milk and just go with it, or if you want something neat and smooth I would go for a normal buttercream!
Hi Jane, made this recipe loads it is absolutely divine every time!!! However, I am wanting to convert it for 3 6×2″ deep cake pans. I have seen people ask below but nobody stated the depth of them. So I just wanted to double check please. Would I just keep the recipe as it is and split between the 3?
Thank you.
Kathryn 🙂
As this cake doesn’t rise much I would say it would be fine in the 2″ deep pans!
Hi Jane, is there any way you can freeze this at any point? Thank you!
Yes it freezes well! x
This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. I used to avoid making chocolate cake because it’s usually dry but this is has changed my mind and will be my go to recipe!
Amazing recipe the best recipe that actually tastes like chocolate fudge cake from restaurants rather than just a normal chocolate cake.
Amazing recipe, perfect every time.
Literally the nicest chocolate cake I have ever made. So moist and tasty. And the buttercream is something else. Make it and you won’t regret it!
What % dark chocolate would you recommend? Ive noticed the shops have 70, 85 or 90% but not sure which would be best
Always at least 70% – anything 70 or more is fine!
Hi Jane! Just wondering if this would work split between 3 x 6inch tins? Or even just 2? Xx
3×6″ is better, otherwise it may be too much for two! x
This cake is insane! Soo chocolatey and incredibly rich. And the buttercream is absolute heaven! I made this in 2 x 9 inch tins and multiplied the ingredients by 1/3 and it needed 50 mins in the oven. Thank you Jane for another amazing recipe.
I am wanting to make this in 9” tins, could you tell me how much they rise please x
Typically you increase by 1/3 for 9″! X
Hi Jane! I’m wanting to bake this cake for my birthday, it looks gorgeous! I love Nutella so do you think baking this cake but using the Nutella icing from your Nutella cake recipe would be nice or would it be too sickly?
The frosting on this recipe is already quite rich, so I wouldn’t say the nutella is going to be any more sickly if that makes sense! But it is all about personal taste xx
This cake was absolutely delicious! It went down really well and I’d definitely make it again!
Hi Jane,
Would the frosting be enough to fill and cover a 3 layer version? if not, how much should I increase the quantities by?
Thanks!!
I wouldn’t say so personally as this is only two layers. Safe bet would be to use at least 1.5x, if not double… but be aware it’s not that firm so it won’t be a perfect smooth finish if that’s what you are after x
I have quite honestly waited years to find this recipe. So delicious, thank you. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Hi Jane!
I absolutely love this recipe. I was wondering if I was to make this into a 10” cake with 3 layers, how much should I multiply the recipe by? Thanks in advance x
So usually I would say to increase the recipe to 1.6x if you just wanted the bigger tins, but because you want an extra layer I would maybe double the recipe? x
Hi!
I’m planning on making this for my sisters birthday but I’ve only got 9” round tins. Would I need to change the recipe amounts by much?
Thank you!
I usually say increase the recipe by about 1/3! X
Thank you! X
I made a 3 tier , should have been 4 but one broke ooops ! Decided it was easier to put the cream in and put the next layer on upside down and remove the baking paper for the next layer in situ, no breakages !! Topped it with Ferraro Rocher and Choc covered strawberries, soooo indulgent !!
Hi Jane. I made this cake over the weekend and it was superb! However I baked in 3 x 6 inch tins and was surprised it took me 50 mins at fan 140 deg. Should it take this long and I am wondering if I should up the temperature next time ? I did have a tin filled with water at bottom of oven to help keep cake moist and wondering if this affected the bake ? Thanks
It is a fudge cake so it does take longer some times, but you definitely do not need the water in the oven x
Hi Jane,
This recipe is absolutely amazing! Received many compliments for this one!
I would like to make 3, 6 inch cakes, how would i go about this?
Hey! So glad you like it!! If you wanted the cakes to be about the same depth, I would split the mix as it is between three tins! x
Hi Jane- I love making this cake and is probably the best chocolate cake I make!
I’m making my sister in laws wedding cake this weekend and wanted to use this on the bottom and then stack a 6 inch Victoria sponge on top- would you say it’s too delicate to do this?!
Thank you in advance
Xx
It would be fine, as long as it is dowelled correctly. It is definitely a softer sponge than I would use for a tiered cake, but as long as it’s done correctly there is no reason it won’t work! x
Hi Jane! Can I make the frosting without the cocoa powder (so just a normal buttercream) and still add the evaporated milk ? Do you think it will taste okay ?
It won’t work the exact same – cocoa powder is quite drying so it works really well, without you’d need probably half or less of the evaporated milk x
Sponge tasted delicious!! but I tried this 3 different times to try and suit a deepish sponge 6inch, each time they all came out so raw!
Have you got a recommended temp and time for a deep 6 inch sponge with this recipe?
Thank you so much for posting this recipe Jane! This is now my go-to-never-fail chocolate cake. My family and friends love it so much that my sister-in-law even requested it for her wedding cake! I made a three-layer 6-inch version (it was only a small gathering). I have only gotten compliments from all your recipes I’ve made. Thanks again!
Hi Jane,
I’m looking to make this for my mother in laws birthday, however after ready the comments I’m slightly worried about the sponge being too delicate. Do you think it would turn out ok as a tall three layer 9inch cake, with normal buttercream, decorated with chocolates on top? Or would that be too heavy for the sponge?
Also, I like to do practise runs as I’m not very confident. If I was to make a 1 9inch layer, would halving the ingredients work?
Many thanks!
The sponge is delicate, but, if you refrigerate the sponge to firm it up before decorating it will be completely fine! Leave the cakes to cool in the tin fully, and then refrigerate for a few hours – it won’t dry them out enough to cause any issues, it will just make it easier to decorate!
9″ tins are about 1/3 bigger in volume, so you wouldn’t want to halve it as it would be very thin xx
Hey Jane, the recipe sounds amazing. If I were to make this as a three layer 6” cake, how would the recipe vary? Xx
I would probably split the mix between three 6″ tins as it is – and make a few cupcakes if you have any leftover mix!
Hi Jane,
I was just wondering if you could link which cake tins you use to bake your layers as there is so much choice out there and after reading so many reviews I’m a little confused. Thank you in advance. X
I’m working on a post just for that – I use a few different ones but it will be worth the wait! x
I haven’t been able to get golden caster sugar or light brown sugar from the shop. Would normal caster sugar and dark brown sugar work by any chance? Thanks!
Yes it would!
Hi Jane, I’ve just made this cake, it tastes amazing, however it’s broken apart when I’ve taken it out of the tin. I did leave it to cool for 10mins in the tin, and I put a skewer in the centre to check it was baked, any idea where I’ve gone wrong? Thank you 🙂
The sponge is very soft, especially when warm, so it may have just been too warm still and broke apart! So sorry for the problem x
Hello,
I was wondering if this type of icing is okay to pipe ? Or is it to running for that ? Thanks 🙂
If you have a look at the cupcake version of this recipe it can pipe – but that relies on using the correct type of butter, and not adding too much evaporated milk! x
Hi Jane,
I tried this recipe out yesterday and baked the whole mixture in a 9inch baking tin, I baked it at 160•C for nearly double the time. The cake tasted good however is it meant to have a brownie like crust on the top of the cake, or did I do something wrong? I baked a second cake again using the whole batter in the same cake tin at the same temperature but for less time and it still had a crust. The frosting and cake is definitely a winner, thank you for your lovely recipes.
Sadia
It is a large amount of batter for one tin, and for that length of time – it will have a different feel. If you bake into the tins it’s designed for it doesn’t have as much of a hard top – but these are chocolate fudge cakes so the texture is different to a regular sponge x
Hi Jane,
. Thanks for the recipe. Can I follow this recipe to make cupcakes instead? If not the sponge cake, can the frosting recipe work as a cupcake frosting?
Appreciate your inputs.
There is a cupcake version on my blog – https://www.janespatisserie.com/2019/03/02/chocolate-fudge-cupcakes/ x
Hi Jane,
If the two tins don’t fit in the same oven, and I bake one at a time; does this alter the time spent cooking and the temperature needed of the oven?
Also, if I want to cover sides would you recommend doubling the frosting?
Many Thanks.
No the timings should still be the same, and the temperature. And you probably only need 1.5x the frosting (but you MUST use block butter otherwise it won’t hold up on the sides)
Hey Jane 👋 I’m looking to make this j to a 3 layer 8” cake as it’s for a birthday and need it a bit bigger. How much extra ingredients would I need ?
Thanks 😊 x
I would use 1.5x the recipe, and split into three tins!
So an extra half of the recipe I presume you mean? Also would you recommend vanilla butter cream or white ganache to cover it? ☺️
Yes, an extra half. I would use a ganache as it sets much firmer – make sure to chill the cake for about an hour before though as the cake is VERY soft so can be hard to make into a covered cake.
The cake is for Saturday if I made the sponge Thursday would that be too early ?
No that should be fine!
Hi, I have just made this cake and put it in the oven. I realised I’ve forgot to add the coffee and water mix… will this be a disaster?! Any advice is much appreciated.
Thanks 🙂
It will have a different taste (less deep/chocolatey) and might be slightly different texture x
Hi Jane! My cakes have sunk 🙁 will they taste okay? What do you recommend I do? x
That just means they needed longer in the oven, but they should taste fine!
Hi Jane, I was hoping to use the cake recipe in this to make a 4 layer pinata cake just because it sounds so much more delicious than a standard chocolate cake. Do you think it would work well or would it be too moist and not good for all over frosting? X
It is a very very soft sponge, so it could be difficult. It can work, but you need to chill/freeze the sponges to make them easier to move about more x
Heya! I’ve just made this and I totally accidentally used evaporated milk in the cake instead of the buttermilk 😭 will it be okay? It’s in the oven baking for a friends birthday! I’m panicking.
The buttermilk is there to help create the texture, make the cake rise, and get the best results because of the acidity and with what buttermilk is. It may not work the same with the evaporated, but I honestly have no idea! x
Hi Jane, I am planning on making the triple chocolate cake this weekend for my partners birthday except I want to use the icing from this recipe! Would you recommend icing the outside and top of that cake with this icing or should I make half the buttercream with evaporated milk for the filling and then the outside without evaporated milk.
My next question is to fit into my schedule it would be easiest for me to bake it Sunday morning and then ice and decorate the cakes on Monday. Is this something that would cause any issues with the cakes or anything you would recommend?
Love all of your recipes too by the way! We are all so very excited to try this!!! Xxxxxx
Hey! So this frosting (in which you MUST use block butter and not a spread) is still quite soft and can be too soft to decorate the sides of a cake – so generally I would say yes to using it for the filling, and leave out evaporated milk for the outside! And yes you can bake the cakes the day before, just let them cool full and wrap well in clingfilm and leave at room temperature! xx
10/10. Would recommend to anyone. I make it all the time now.
Good tasting cake just on its own. Kids loved it even without icing. It had a very thin papery crisp top layer like a brownie for some reason.
Hey Jane, I’m a little bit confused about the frosting stage. Am I meant to add some icing sugar and cocoa power and then add a little of evaporated milk and then repeat? So is it best to do half of the amounts and then add the other half?
Yes so I list as that, because some people don’t have an electric mixer and this way makes it much easier – if you do have an electric mixer though you can add all the icing sugar/cocoa powder, and then just add the evaporated milk a little at a time x
Hi Jane
This cake tasted absolutely incredible!
unfortunately when I put the top layer on, the whole thing started cracking and the top cake split into 2 and then into 4! Any idea what I could have done wrong?
It was still thoroughly enjoyed as deliciously chocolatey mess, but I would love to try again just not sure what I did! x
I can only assume it wasn’t being put onto a flat layer, which could easily cause it to crack unfortunately! You need to make sure the layer underneath is flat, along with the frosting, so it can just safely sit on top xx
Hi Jane I’m wondering if you can freeze the frosting as I have lots left over! It’s tastes amazing by the way, thank you for the recipe.
Yes you can!! xx
I made this cake for my mother in laws birthday yesterday. It was incredible she said it’s the best fudge cake she’s ever had. Thank you for the amazing recipe. I’d love to make a chocolate orange version for my mums birthday in a few weeks. How would I best achieve this? Should I swap the dark choc for A dark chocolate orange or maybe just add orange extract to the recipe?
Many thanks x
I would just add orange extract as the cocoa content of dark terry’s isn’t dark enough xx
Thank you so much for this recipe Jane! It was delicious and perfect. Me and my family loved it so much that I’m going to make it again for my husband’s birthday. I’m going to switched the 8″round tin for an 8″ square tin – will I need more batter and if so what ratio shall I increase it by. How many serving do you think I’ll get out of an 8″ square? I still want to keep it as a two layer cake (as I only have two the same size). Thank you! And sorry for all the questions.
Hey! So typically a round cake is the same volume as a square, but 1″ smaller… so 8″ round = 7″ square. So, as an estimate, an 8″ square would need 1.3x the recipe to still have the same depth of sponge! Baking time will be a bit longer, but other than that just use 1.3x the recipe xx
Hi I was planning to make this tomorrow, but have noticed one of the ingredients is coffee and the person I am making this for really does not like coffee. Is there any way to remove the coffee and still use this recipe? Thanks, Romey
You can’t taste the coffee as mentioned on the post – it really does just make it taste more chocolatey.
Love this recipe! Used this for my dads birthday cake and now my boyfriend has requested it for his but he’d like a drip cake – is this sponge too delicate for a tall drip cake? I’d be using a 6 inch cake tin which is 3 inch deep. Also, do you think I’d need to make a bigger mixture to fill this depth of tin? Thank you in advance!
Hey! So it definitely is a delicate sponge, but you can decorate more easily it if it’s chilled – the buttercream frosting is too soft though and would be best without the evaporated milk! It probably is enough mix for 6″ however as typically you’d reduce mixture to fit a 6″ x
Hi, I’d like to use the frosting un this recipe as filling and cover for a 3 layer cake. How much would you recommend adding to the ingredients for it to be enough to cover and use as the filler between sponges?
So I would at least double it – the only thing I would say is that it’s quite soft so doesn’t always hold up very well on the sides, especially on a hot day! x
Hi there!
Just wondering if after melting the chocolate mixture,I should let it cool before adding the other ingredients.
Hey – you melt the chocolate and butter together, add the coffee mixture whilst it’s hot, and then let it naturally cool slightly whilst you do the next few steps.
Hi Jane!
I’m looking at making this cake at the weekend and cover it in buttercream and stick flakes all around the outside, will this cake hold the flakes? Also my tin is only 2 and a half inches deep is this ok?
Thank you xx
Yes it will definitely hold the flakes (have a look at my easter chocolate cake, I use matchmakers) – and you need two tins, but that depth should be okay!
I’m making this for my mum’s birthday this weekend and I was wondering if I could use dark soft brown sugar instead? I can’t seem to get any n my food shop! x
Hey! Yes you can, or you can use all caster!
I really do like this recipe – it has been my go to chocolate fudge cake recipe for a while now. But I always am slightly unhappy with his it turns out aesthetically. When cooking, the cake always shrinks and dips a lot in the middle. I’m not a novice baker – I know I’m not over mixing it. I also know it’s not baked for too long as the centre is still sometimes ‘jiggly’ lol. When I take it out of the oven it never springs back when I touch it, but it is fully cooked. Such a shame as the cake is delicious!
This sort of cake won’t do the spring back – and if the cake is still jiggly, it’s 100% not baked for long enough. Dipping means it’s not baked for long enough either, and you can also be opening your oven too early, and for too long when checking it.
Hey Jane, omg this cake was amazing!!! I fought my husband for the last slice mwahaha!
Sorry if this has been asked before but what do you use to decorate the cake/ where do you get your sprinkles? I wasn’t sure if the big ball sprinkles were Malteasers??
Thanks for all your delicious recipes 😋
Hey! Hahaha amazing! And they are large chocoball sprinkles that aren’t sold anymore – I can’t find them anywhere! x
Literally the most amazing chocolate cake I’ve ever made… I bake regularly and have tried so many recipes and this one is heaven sent!! 🤤🤤 100% recommend! Trust the recipe!!!
Absolutely love this cake Jane, it’s so delicious!!
If I wanted to make this gluten free would I be ok to just substitute the plain flour with GF plain flour or will I need to make any other changes?
Thanks! x
The risk is that the texture of the cake is already quite delicate, so it may make it even more so – so I would suggest using xantham gum (and obviously checking all other ingredients are gluten free) and then also refrigerating before decorating so they can firm up slightly!
Hi Jane would chocolate ganache sit ok on this cake? I have to decorate around the outside with sweets. Wondering as it’s a delicate cake, will it hold thick ganache and sweets? Thanks
Hey! So the sponge is quite delicate, and to cover in ganache you’d want to refrigerate the sponges for a while first to firm them up, but after that it would be fine! X
Good morning 🙂
This sounds yummy, I’ll be attempting to make it today. After it’s cooked do you let it cool slightly and then put into the fridge for 30mins-1hr? Also, once it’s all finished is it best kept in the fridge?
Many thanks
Wendy
It’s sometimes best to put the cake in the fridge for decoration – but it’s not essential. And no, I would keep it at room temp!
I made this at the weekend and it was lovely. I’ve now been asked to make the same sponge but as a mocha cake – how much extra coffee would you add to ensure it tasted of mocha rather than just chocolate? is there anything else you would change to make it a mocha cake?
I would probably double the coffee, or even triple the coffee? Try and dissolve in the same quantity of water however, and then everything else will be the same!
Hi Jane,
I’m a bit confused!!! It says 35-40 mins for 2 tins but 22-25 mins for 3 Tin’s??!!!
Hiya! This is because the amount of cake in each tin – same amount split into 3 tins will equal less baking time! Hope this helps! x
I want to make this for my son as he loves chocolate! What decorations did you use? I’m having difficulty finding suitable sweets. Thanks
They are just really large sprinkles mixed with regular sized ones – you can use anything you like!!
Made this cake today and it’s the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made and definitely my go to chocolate cake from now on. The recipe is brilliant and I followed it to the letter and it worked perfectly! Thanks for such a great recipe and brilliant tips – I put the cakes in the fridge for 30-40 mins and it iced perfectly 🙂
Made this today and it’s amazing and definitely the best ever chocolate cake I’ve ever made! It’s my go to recipe from now on. I followed the recipe exactly and it worked perfectly. I put the cakes in the fridge for a good half an hour and it iced perfectly! Thanks Jane! Brilliant recipe 🙂
Hi Jane, I am making this cake next week but with 3 decent tiers, as you suggested in a post here I will add on another half to the recipe and bake in 3 x 20cm round tins. Will the cooking time be same as original method or longer baking time? Also does it have to be golden caster sugar? Thanks. I’m making this and decorating it into a lego climbing wall thanks
Hey! Yes if you split it between three tins, the amount of mix in each tin should still be the same so baking time should be the same! You can use white caster sugar, or all light brown or something similar! To decorate it to that detail I would suggest refrigerating the cakes so they are a lot more solid and easier to use as the sponge is quite soft xx
Hi Jane! Made this and it was so delicious!! Just wondering if I could use this recipe and bake it in loaf tins? If so how would you go about it? Thanks so much!
Hi, I’m looking to make this cake this evening for a friends birthday. I have multiple 8” since cake tins but I’m looking to 3 layers to the cake, I know your recipe states for two tons. Could I split the mixture in 3 tins or would they be too thin? Or would I be better to make more mixture, and if I did need to make more mixture I wouldn’t be sure on how many more eggs I would need and baking powered etc? Could you help? Thanks!! 🙂
Hey! Yes you can bake this into three tins, the timing is just reduced and you’ll want to be careful not the break the sponges when you handle them because they will be a bit thinner! I’ve made this into three tins in the past and it’s work, but they are quite thin! Or, you can odd on another half to the recipe to make a decent third sponge! x
Hi Jane, love your recipes- we are currently trying to work out how to use this recipe for a drip cake? Our first two sponges didn’t come out great and seem very flimsy which I’m concerned about but what would you suggest for buttercream/ frosting please for inside then also for the outside before we create the drip with ganache? Any tips would be fabulous please!
Hey – so the sponge is delicate, so it can’t be handle massively – but it may also be slightly under baked. As mentioned on the post you can refrigerate the sponges to make them easier to handle which would work! And for the frosting have a look at my other drip cake recipes x
Hey! Do you think I could double the recipe and bake in my 8×4 inch tins for a longer time so i can cut them in half and make it 4 layers? I’d like to try and reduce cooking time if possible instead of doing two batches seperately? Thank you. X
Hiya – do you still mean 8×8″ tins, but 4″ depth? Or a rectangle? If you mean still an 8″ round it should be okay, but you will have to keep an eye on the bake as the cake can sink quite badly if it’s underdone when you take it out (more than a normal cake can!), but otherwise it should be okay! x
Wanted to make this in advance for our Golden Wedding celebration with family – in garden during lockdown. Weather forecast not good and worried this would go to waste!! From recipe I got 15 large cupcakes, in oven for approx 30min. Skewer clean and no bubbling sounds although looked moist in centre! Allowed to cool completely and carefully froze in batches of 3 so all upright and separate. Removed the morning of the celebration and made up the frosting. Kept to amount in recipe but really only used 2/3 of frosting. Added chocolate and golden sprinkles. Grandchildren said it was the best ever chocolate cake they have tasted!! Thank you! Will make again! Consistency is a cross between a brownie and fudge cake!
Hi Jane, i am looking for a flavourful, moist chocolate cake recipe for a drip cake would this be ok? I see you have used plain flour, i normally use self raising in cakes to try and make them light and fluffy. Does the plain flour make a difference to this or should i sub for self raising and leave out the bicarb? Thank you in advance. Xx
I would follow the recipe as it is due to the other ingredients in regards to the flour as the sponge is quite delicate as it is and self-raising could make it fall apart – and if you chill the sponges before decorating they’ll be fine for a drip cake! (the frosting won’t be though) x
Hi, should the skewer come out clean when the sponge is ready?
Yes! Also, the cake shouldn’t make any bubbling/crackling sounds (if you carefully put your ear to the cake and it’s quite it’s finished baking!) x
Hi,
Would this recipe work using 3 large eggs instead of 4 medium?
Thank you x
Yes! xx
Hi Jane, I love your recipes. I baked this today and was amazing, gone down a treat ! Just wondering if I would be able to use a cooking chocolate for this in the future … I was thinking something like the dr oetker 72% extra dark? Also would I be able to bake the sponge the day before decorating And if so how should I store the sponge?! X
Hey! Yes, you can use cooking chocolate – I often do! And you can store them at room temp but you can also do the fridge if wrapped correctly as they are delicate sponges! X
Hey,
I don’t have an electric whisk at the moment. What you recommend to use for the frosting instead? Thanks 😊
I would just use your hand and a spoon/spatula – just add things in more gradually and beat like crazy!
Hey,
I want to make a drip cake bust based on this recipe. If I cover the whole cake in this frosting will I still be able to create a drip or is the frosting abit more wet?
Thanks
Hey! I wouldn’t recommend this frosting for a drip cake I’m afraid, it’s far too soft!
Okay thanks! Would I still be able to use this cake recipe though? X
Hey! Yes you can! It’s best to refrigerate the sponges for a while before decorating so that they are firmer! x
Is it possible to not use dark chocolate and just use cocoa powder or will that effect the cake too much?
That would effect the bake – the dark chocolate is a key ingredient!
Hi Jane! I’m really struggling to find baking powder at the moment. I have self raising flour, plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar. What would you recommend? Thanks!
Hey! I would use 3/4tsp of bicarb! x
Hi Jane,
I’m planning on using this recipe for my daughters birthday cake, do you think the buttercream would be sturdy enough for me to cover my cake in fondant?
Thanks,
Tricia x
Hey! So this buttercream is really quite soft – personally I would maybe fill the cakes with it, but cover them in a regular buttercream without the evaporated milk so it’s firm enough! x
An extremely delicious cake, really loved the taste. However I disaster occurred and the cake needed to be put in the bin.
Essentially what happened is that 1 cake sank, the other didn’t – I needed to bake them separate as my oven can’t fit two at the same time.
And to top it off, both cakes literally fell part when removing the baking paper and when assembling them, although i tasted it, it was delicious, it’s just a shame it went like it did.
I know I did something wrong, maybe the cakes were too high in the oven, maybe a should have left them cool a little more.
Hey! So with this sort of sponge, the cake sitting for a while may not have been good for the mix (obviously that’s only if that was the second one to be baked) but also maybe the mix wasn’t quite even so it needed a little more baking?! – and ohh no!! The only thing to do really is to let them cool fully in the tin and refrigerate them for a bit so they’re firmer to decorate! xx
Aww thank you 😊 I be attempting it again soon – I can be rather impatient – lesson definitely learnt and be allowing a lot more time for them to cool fully. Thanks again xx
Hi Jane,
Looking to bake this creation tomorrow but a smaller “lockdown” cake size of 6″. Will this batch size be ok for 3 x 6″ tins please?
Many thanks 💖
Hey! Yes that should be good for 3×6″ xx
Thank You Jane, it was perfect….got a few cupcakes out of it too! 🥰
I’ve been asked for this cake again but wanted to use a 8″×12″ rectangular tin. Would this batch be OK for that?
Many thanks 💖
Hey! yes it should be – I increased the amounts in my chocolate fudge traybake cake for a 9×11″ so this should be good for that tin! X
Oh this cake looks amazing!!
My mum wants me to make a mini cake for my brother’s birthday…can I use half the quantity to make a mini cake? What would be the baking time? (sorry if I sound crazy ….awkward smilie face)
Hey! Half should make a 6″ cake I think, and the baking time would decrease by maybe a 1/3? I’m not 100% sure however as I don’t often bake 6″ cakes!
Made this yesterday for my sisters 30th birthday… Everyone commented on how delish it was and I’ve now been appointed as the official family birthday cake maker 😂… Sooo good!
Hi Jane, loving the recipes as a newbie baker! Surprising myself with how good the cakes are coming out (I am know for my bad cooking!). Can I just ask two questions: how do you get the colour of the buttercream in the pictures? Mine is much darker and I prefer the look of the more fudge colour you have achieved. Also, does adding less evaporated milk make the buttercream less ‘wet’ or should I keep the 100ml and add slightly more icing sugar? When cutting the cake, it does tumble as it’s very soft (no complaints) but if I put in the fridge as suggested would this stop this?
Hey! So my photos are obviously in good lighting, and edited slightly to make them look good, so the colour is probably not exact! But, I do actually use 100% cocoa/cacao powder which is a solid brown, slightly dark colour. It may be that the colour of your cocoa powder is slightly darker than mine?! And yes – as long as you are using real butter (not a spread), you just need to add a bit less evaporated milk to have it firmer! And yes, the fridge will firm it up nicely! xx
Hi Jane , how deep are your 8inch cake tins? Thanks!
Mine are all 3″ deep minimum!
Hey, would you mind telling what coco powder you use? I’ve currently got the Dr.Oetker dark coco powder, however I was just wondering what one you use. Thanks
I tend to use Cacao Barry – it’s 100% cocoa/cacao (I buy a large 1kg bag as I go through it so quick!)
Ahh thank you! Would you mind linking me it to amazon maybe, there are so many to choose room I just want to make sure it’s the correct one. Thanks again
It’s called Cacao Barry Extra Brute Amber Cocoa powder! x
Thank you:), i’m going to attempt this recipe soon x
Can you use slightly salted butter instead of unsalted butter?
You can – however that will make it taste slightly salty. And it needs to be block butter for the buttercream!
Hey Jane! Can I make this recipe using a 6×4 inch round cake tin? I suspect I will have batter left over but I was hoping to cut the cake in half and it’s quite a deep tin. Thanks!
Is the evaporated milk supposed to be cold?
No it doesn’t have to be – I just use it straight from the tin!
Hey Jane! I’m Hoping to make this however only have 1 6 inch round and 4 inch deep cake tin. I suspect I may have some batter left over however would I be able to to cut the cake in half if I use this tin? Thanks!
Yes, I would use probably about 2/3 of the mixture in the tin – and bake for quite a long time!
Hi! Can you tell me how I would do this in x2 6 inch tins please? Thanks in advance ☺
The cakes aren’t too deep, so you could bake the entire mix into two 6″ tins, and bake for a longer time! Or, you can reduce the recipe by about a 1/3, but as this has quite a few ingredients it may be easier just to make the full batch (and maybe have a few cupcakes with leftover mix)
Hi,
Can I bake it in one 8” cake tin and then cut into two?I dont have spare 8” cake tin.
Thanks in advance
Hey! You can, although I haven’t baked this into one tin in a while – it could take probably up to an hour or a little bit longer!
Hi Jane 🙂
First of all your NYC Cookies are TO DIE FOR!!! I think my sister and I have made about 3 batches in the last two weeks 🙂
I just wanted to ask about your evaporated milk buttercream. Would condensed milk also work? I know evaporated milk has a little less sugar? But it’s pretty difficult to get ahold of (I live in Switzerland). Any advice for a substitute if not? Xx
Thanks!
Hey! Ahh amazing! And no, they’re not a straight swap – as mentioned in the post I would recommend adding a liquid cream instead! x
Hi Jane
I’m struggling to get hold of cocoa powder at the moment, would melted chocolate work in the icing instead or do you think it would make it too runny?
I would imagine that would make it too runny – the cocoa powder is effectively quite drying which is how it works! You can certainly give it a go, but add much less evaporated milk to begin with as it wouldn’t need much at all!
Hello! I’m wanting to make this into a 3 layer cake. Would I add half of each ingredient to do this e.g. 262g plain flour etc? Can’t wait to try! 🙂
Hey! Yes basically – you can round things up a little bit though to like 270g if it makes it easier! x
Hi! Would golden granulated sugar or Demerara sugar work with this recipe as I’m struggling to get hold of light brown sugar!
Either should work, but I’d choose golden granulated/caster! X
Hello,
Would this cake freeze okay?
Thanks
Chloe
Yes!! x
Hi Jane, love your recipes, I’ve never had one fail me yet! Really want to give this one a go but I’m struggling to get hold of caster sugar at the minute never mind golden caster sugar! I have plenty of granulated and light brown sugar but scared to sub the granulated in and change the texture too much. Would it be better to just use all brown sugar?
Thanks in advance 😊
You can use a mix, or just all light brown for sure – light brown would be my choice!!
I dashed out today and purchased 2 x 20cm sandwich tins for this recipe. Just been reading your helpful tips and can see you use the slightly more expensive tins, will the sandwich tin make a difference or am I better using a deeper tin? Thanks, can’t wait to make this cake!!
I do naturally use deeper tins – it depends on your sandwich tins as even they can vary in height! It should be okay, as this cake rises but not massively?!
Hi Jane! If I wanted to make 3 layers would I make a mix and half? Thanks x
Yes, and then split between three tins! x
Hi Jane, I’m really wanting to make your chocolate fudge cake recipe fir my hubbys 40th birthday in the next few weeks but wanting to make it in my 6inch x 3inch deep tin, what would the quantities be for this size please? Thank you xx
Hi jane, how are you? I’m sure this is another wonderful recipe! I’ve just finished baking it! I’m just wondering is it stable enough as a 4 layer cake? I’ve just baked 4 8” layers, and it just seems so delicate, so I’m not sure lol? 2 of my layers also sank, while the other 2 were fine, although all came from the same mixture, I just doubled your quantities above.
Hey! So with this kind of recipe, it’s harder to just double because of the rising agents – also, did all the cakes go in at the same time or was the mixture left on the side? or on different levels of an oven? All of these things can cause a cake to sink.
And as mentioned, it is a very delicate sponge – to decorate it is easier to chill for a bit so it’s firmer!
Hi jane! They were all out in at the same time, 2 in the middle and 2 at the bottom. But to be honest looking at them today, the sinking in the middle isn’t that bad, it’s completely usable lol I must have imagined it looked worse yesterday! I will refrigerate before stacking then!! I just worry when it comes back to room temp, will it go soft again?
Ahh okay that’s good! And I’m sure it will be fine! If in doubt, once stacked just leave it in a cool place (or the fridge if you don’t mind it drying out a small amount) but I’m sure it’ll be fine!
Hi jane. Can I use condensed milk rather than evaporatrd milk for the buttercream? Just noticed that that is what I’ve bought. Thanks.
No – they are completely different!
Hey Jane, just made this and it’s Fab! One of the cakes sunk just a little and took about 50 mins to cook but thinking my oven temp may be off! Just wondered, when I make chocolate mousse I use bournville chocolate which works great so I used it for this but I’m thinking it maybe wasn’t quite dark enough? I’m making again in a couple of days should I switch to a baking dark chocolate around 70%?! Thanks!!
Hiya! Yes I would only ever use something 70% or higher for baking, I don’t generally use Bournville! x
Another great recipe, I followed the recipe exactly but the sponges were so crumbly. Baked the sponges the day before decorating and serving. Any attempt to cut a slice resulted in a crumbly heap of chocolatey goodness. Tastes lovely, used cacao powder instead of regular cocoa powder. Any idea what could have caused a crumbly sponge? Thanks
As mentioned in the post, they are a delicate sponge. It could be that they were slightly dried out/overbaked though, but the sponge is designed to be soft and delicious!
Hi jane this recipe looks amazing, i just have a question, if i want to cover the cake entirely in buttercream do i need to double the amounts? thanks
I would say probably add on another half at least, maybe double. However, as mentioned, it isn’t a firm frosting so it doesn’t hold up the best on the sides!
hi jane,
im thinking if making this cake tomorrow and i just wondered if i can use normal caster sugar rather than golden caster sugar? would this make a difference?
many thanks!
Yes, you can switch that!
Hi there, if I wanted to make this into cupcake how should I spilt the recipe? Should I just spilt all the ingredients by half?
Have a look at my Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes recipe x
Would baking belts be okay to use with this recipe please?
I don’t personally see the point in baking belts – it doesn’t need them!
Hi Jane,
I have made so many of your recipes and absolutely love them all. Im so happy I have finally found someone with amazing recipes which are simple to follow with perfect results each time. I’ve been on a mission for over a year to find the perfect chocolate sponge that is actually chocolatey, I personally find just using cocoa power isnt enough (Im definitely a chocoholic) this recipe was absolutely amazing, I just found my sponge a little too moist if I wanted to use it as a typical “cake”, absolutely perfect for a fudge cake though. I’m wondering would you just add more flour, to firm it up a little, so it was more like a chocolate victoria sponge type cake? I hope this makes sense! Lol. Thanks so much! 🙂
Hey! So I have never tried to make it more firm, as this really is a fudge cake recipe compared to a regular cake – it’s certainly worth a try though!! xx
Hi Jane, another top recipe. My cake was a little on the bitter side though. Is it because i used high percentage chocolate (70%)? Would this work with Milk chocolate instead of dark? 🤔
It’s meant to be fudgey and rich, and I use 85% – I would not recommend using anything under 70%, as milk chocolate is too thin and the cake won’t bake the same!
Hi Jane,
I love all of your bakes so followed this recipes today. As it was baking in the oven for about 35 mins I checked on it and it had cracked on the top so I took it out as didn’t want it to completely crack but now it’s cooling the cake is sinking! This has never happened to me before. Should I have left it for longer even though it was cracking in the oven? Any ideas what I might have done in order for it to crack? Xx
The cake sinking means it’s under baked, and taking the cake out too soon will have caused that! How did you mix the sponge mixture? Sometimes cracking can happen for over mixing!
Can i ask how long the buttercreme can be in fridge. Have some leftover. Made this cake todsy for my dad’s birthday Tomor. Looks very yummy.
The fridge I would guess easily a week, but you can also freeze it for longer!
Hi Jane. This recipe looks great so I’m attempting it for my nephew’s birthday party! I know you say plain flour but I wondered if self raising would work? Ive got stacks of SR and no plain! Many thanks, Kate
It will make the cake very delicate, and it is better with plain flour in all honesty – but the self raising won’t kill it. Leave out the baking powder if you use the SRF!
I’ve made this 3 times now! Definitely a winner in our house! The last two times I’ve substituted the half of the light soft brown sugar for 75g of dark soft brown sugar as I didn’t have enough. It’s a great tweet!… it makes the sponge slight more fudgey and slightly easier to manage. Really lovely! Worth a try x
Hi Jane I was just wondering if you had a YouTube channel? Or if maybe you could post some videos with decorating tips on here please? Excited to make this cake! Xx
I made this in 3 sandwich tins. Absolutely beautiful cake! So moist – everyone thought it was shop bought! The only change I made, was more cocoa in the frosting, but that’s just my personal preference. Excellent as always Jane! I’m about to try one of your vegan recipes for a visitor this evening. I’m believing in the power of Jane! 🙏
This sounds amazing and I’d like to attempt it for my sisters birthday coming up! The only problem is she really hates coffee! Does it have much of a coffee flavour to the cake? Could I possibly just take this out do you think? Or sub in something else maybe? Please let me know what you think, I loveeeee all your recipes and they’ve turned out great so far so I’d love to try this for her as she’s a massive chocolate fan! Thanks:)
You can’t taste the coffee – it just really enhances the flavour of the chocolate – leave it in, you won’t regret it!
Hi Jane,
I love your website, it’s my number one favorite baking site!!
I love to bake but live alone with no family in this country, so I tend to bake & take into work & for friends birthdays, leavers, etc. I have made your Oreo drip cake several times for work colleagues & it always looks amazing but I find the chocolate sponge can be a bit dry or crumbly when I am decorating it (but I also make 10” sizes of sponges to feed as many of the 300 employees as possible, maybe that’s part of the problem, but I do increase the ingredients by precise calculations based on surface area ratio (not that I have ever had a complaint about it, they devour it but I’m a tad of a perfectionist)), for this reason I wanted to enquire if this cake would work for the Oreo drip cake?
Many thanks in advance & once again your recipes are amazing & so yummilicious I (& for sure most of the people I work with) love them.
Hiya! To be honest, this is probably far too soft. It’s very hard to make a drip cake out of it as it’s soft. If the oreo sponge is dry, it’s overbaked. If I bake anything 10″ or more, I bake at 140C for a longer time to stop it drying out as much x
Hi Jane,
Just made your chocolate fudge cake and it’s turned out lovely! I have lots of the frosting left over – is okay to freeze?
Thank you! X
Yes definitely! And so glad you liked it!
Hi, Do you put both cake tins in the oven at the same time?
Thanks
Hiya! Yes, you should always bake a cake as the mix is ready so both in at the same time!
Hi Jane. Just a quick question before I start making this recipe today. What percent dark chocolate do you recommend using for this recipe? Thank you
I usually use 70% or more!
Hi Jane,
Love the sound of the icing made with evaporated milk, but just wondered if I could make it orange flavour, so it would remind you of Terry’s chocolate orange ?
Thanks for a lovely recipe
You could add in some high quality orange extract!
Many thanks Jane, will be trying it out very soon 😊
Really looking forward to trying out this recipe. Am off to the shops soon to buy the ingredients. Can you tell me why I can’t use Stork for the buttercream? And what I should use instead?
You should never ever use any stork/spread/margarine for buttercream as its too soft, and isn’t real butter and will make it far too soft. Use Unsalted Butter as mentioned in the recipe!
Hi Jane
I absolutely adore your recipes, they always go down well in my house. Was just wondering how much more of the ingredients for the buttercream would I need if I wanted to completely cover the whole cake?
There is probably enough to cover the sides, but as mentioned in the post its not the strongest of frostings so can be a bit difficult to get the perfect finish on the sides x
I made this a couple of days ago and have to say that it’s the best cake I’ve EVER eaten! It’s so chocolately and fudgy, yet easy to make, and loved the buttercream. I only had Stork – although it says not to use that, it turned out okay if not a little runny.
Amazing recipe – thank you so much for sharing!! 🙂
Hi, I want to make this ahead of time for my daughters birthday. You’ve mentioned it can be frozen, how long would you recommend keeping it in the freezer for at the most and can I put the frosting on when it’s frozen or should I completely defrost it first?
You would need to fully defrost the cake before decorating – sponges can be made 3 months or so in advance in frozen, but fresh is best.
I made the cake and it was fab! I’m making it again now but not freezing the sponge this time. How many days will the sponge keep without it being frosted?
It’ll keep for about 3-4 days I’d say – if stored correctly!
Thank you
Can I freeze the frosting?
I believe so, yes!
Hey Jane,
Quick question, is it meant to be gooey in the middle? Because whenever I tried to make it and put the cocktail stick through it, it comes out chocolatey.
If its still gooey when you’re testing the cake after its been in the oven, its not done baking. This is a rule for all cakes. x
Well, it’s just, I had it at the right temperature you said and it was in there for the time you said, maybe my oven is just one of those that needed to be longer.
A temperature and a time is never a guarantee and your oven could be completely off, and I do mention that it can take longer in some ovens in the method. Some ovens can be about 20C out easily, or if your mixture was thinner it would also need more baking time.
Hey Jane, quick question. Can the butter and chocolate be melted on the stove as well?
You know, put the bowl over a pot of boiling water and let them melt? And can they be melted together?
Yes they can x
Hi. Ive make this cake a few times and love it. Weve having a big family party and wanted to make this cake but much better. 14inch round with 3 teir.
Do you have any ideas on how much mixture i would need?
Hiya! Do you mean tiers or layers? Just because tiers wise, I don’t think this cake will stack very well, but three layers of cake is fine. Also, if you do mean layers, I would think you will need to bake the layers separately and not all in one as I just don’t think the cake will ever bake because its so fudgey.
I would advised using 2.5x the amount for each layer. It’s A LOT of cake, so it’ll be interesting!
Also, I would advise keeping the baking temp low at 140C, and baking it for probably near enough 2 hours per layer? I’ve never baked it this big however, so thats a guess on time. It’s something you’d have to keep an hour on, but as just an 8″ layer takes about 40 minutes, I can imagine a 14″ will be 2 hours or more xx
Hello. I made this as a three tier for father’s day and it was fab. Would it work as cupcakes? Thinking of doing them for my son’s birthday party. Would I need to change anything? Thanks!
Yes I’m sure it would! It’s quite a moist mix so beware of certain cupcake cases peeling! X
Hi Jane. Since my oven is a small one, can I just bake it in an 8″ round cake pan & when done, just divide the cake into 2? At what temperature should my oven be & to bake for how long?
Hiya! You definitely could! I would still bake it at the same temperature, but just for much longer. I’ve never baked it in one tin, but I can imagine it would take more than an hour in the oven because its so fudgey x
Thx Jane for your fast reply😊
Hi I just made this cake for my brothers birthday. It was rising nicely in the oven then it sunk 🙁 It seemed bit crispy on top in the middle and more spongy on the outside. I followed the recipe precisely. Any idea why? (It sunk in the oven)
Hey! If you opened the oven earlier than 3/4 of the way through the baking time, that would probably be it. Otherwise it might not have been baked properly, maybe if the oven temperature was off. x
Thank you for the reply. Didn’t open oven until 35 mins but it had sunk before then. Gutted as I did everything so carefully to make sure it would be ok. Think I can blame oven as I just tried turning it on and it didn’t turn on first try! Maybe it is on its way out. Will have to try again in another oven 🙂
Hi I would like to use this recipe for a wedding anniversary cake and cover it in fondant do you think it will be suitable for this?
It’s a very moist and soft cake so I wouldn’t say its the best for covering and stacking, it might be worth using a normal cake sponge and then maybe the frosting?
I made this for my girlfriend’s birthday. It was the first proper cake I’ve ever baked by myself, and it turned out fantastic! It’s extremely rich and decadent, and I highly recommend it. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Hi there. Firstly I want to say that this cake was amazing!! Very moist and so chocolatey!! U mentioned in your comments that’s this was a light sponge.. .. the consistency of mine was almost like a brownie??? Did i do something wrong?? Thanks x
It might be that your cake mixture was slightly over mixed, but sometimes it can come out that way purely by chance depending even on the oven!
Hi Jane, thank you so much for all your recipes. My niece and I have made a few of them and we have so much fun. Looking forward to making this cake as I’ve been searching for a good recipe for ages. Just wanted to check if it would be ok to split the recipe in half? Thanks again xx
Do you mean to just make one layer of the cake? It should be okay but I’ve never personally tried it! x
Sorry I meant would it be ok to use half the recipe…so still 2 layers but a smaller cake. Thanks xx
You can do but the sponges are already quite thin so I wouldn’t recommend it! X
Aww ok thank you 😊 xx
Love your recipes. Do you have to refridgerate cake before frosting ? Doesn’t putting a cake in the fridge dry it out ? Do u think that would be enough frosting to cover the sides too ? Thanks
It is just advised to put it in for half an hour or so which wouldn’t dry the cake out. And yes it should be plenty of frosting.
Made it yesterday absolutely delicious
What kind of nozzle do you use to pip the buttercream in the middle of the cake?, does it matter what size it is? Also, I only own a hand mixer will this still be okay to mix the buttercream instead of a paddle attachment??
I use a Medium 2D closed star, sizing just literally changes the sizes of the swirls so I always stick to medium size. And yes a hand mixer will still work.
Hi Jane, I’m going to attempt to make this cake for my little nephews birthday. I was planning on covering the whole cake with buttercream, shall I just double the ingredients for the frosting, would that be enough to cover the whole cake and for some swirls on top? Thanks!
Hiya! Yes doubling would be good. I would also recommend keeping an eye on the amount of evaporated milk as it can be quite a slack frosting, so cover the sides it could be a little soft. Therefore you might need less than double the amount.
Brilliant thank you! I’m so excited to make the cake!!
So I thought I had better to do a trial and I am so glad I did as one of the cakes sunk a little. Strange as I thought I had divided the mixture equally into the tins. I guess I’ll just have to bake them a little longer next time. Also the frosting was delicious but a little sloppy, shall I skip the evaporated milk next time to make it a little more stiff? The end result looked amazing and my hubby devoured the cake, I just need to perfect it for the birthday boy. Thank you
Just use a little less evaporated milk next time, or add in more icing sugar. And yes, if one worked fine then it probably was a little uneven – but also ovens can bake differently depending on where a cake is placed inside them.
This icing is my absolute favourite and I would like to make a vanilla version.. should I just add vanilla extract and substitute the cocoa powder for extra icing sugar?? Thank youuu!! Xx
Hiya – It will just turn into a coffee cake. There isn’t a suitable way to convert it as its really designed for a chocolate style cake, and the icing sugar wouldn’t work in place. The chocolate is a large part of the recipe so you can’t simply remove it. x
Just to clarify, it will still be the same chocolate cake but I would just like to have blue icing on it (therefore I wouldn’t be able to use the cocoa powder..)
You would have to add at least 100g of icing sugar in place of the cocoa powder, as it is designed really to be used with the cocoa powder. Cocoa powder naturally thickens substances like these frostings, so you need double the amount in placement. It might still be a little soft.
Hi Jane, I’ve made this cake as per recipe but was going to make it in two 7inch tins, would that be okay? And just leave it in the oven a little longer?
Yeah that should be perfect!
I really enjoyed making this! I found that when it came to frosting the cake it was very crumbly and it ended up losing big chunks 🙁
Sometimes you need to refrigerate it as suggested to prevent this ? the sponge is so soft it can happen.
Would this work with self raising flour as I always have trouble with plain flour chocolate cakes
I really would recommend using Plain Flour because of the type of cake it is. You don’t need the extra raising agent from the Self Raising Flour.
I need 4 layers of 8 inches, should I just double up? Xx
Yeah! x
Hi Jane,
Thinking of making this but reading through the recipe, I’m confused- U mentioned coffee in the ingredients, but no mention of the 125mls of boiling water- but in the method U mention mixing the coffee with the 125ml boiling water, desolving the coffee in the water & adding to the chocolate & butter mixture, is that correct? Would it not be too much liquid – 125mls plus the 75mls of buttermilk- 200mls of liquid? Please clarify- thanks, as d cake does look lovely & would love to make it as a raffle prize for a charity effect.
No, that is correct. Water isn’t usually stated in a ingredients list as its just water and is readily available. It’s the correct amount.
Hi Jane,
Thanks for confirming. I really want to give it a go.
Debbie
Hi Jane it looks amazing. Can I use this frosting to smooth round a 6in three layer cake then do a caramel drip ? Would the frosting be firm enough? Thanks.
I would say it would be good for it, but you need to use less evaporated milk – probably half the amount of evaporated milk, but the rest stays the same!
Thank you for your quick response I’ll give it a try. Does the frosting firm up in fridge?
Yes ?
Hi could i substitute the evaporated milk for condensed milk do u think?
I wouldn’t personally.
How would this cake turn out using gluten free flour? Has anybody tried it? 🙂 x
It might be ever so slightly dryer, and it shoooould work…! I have never personally tried it though so can’t guarantee!
Hi I am looking to make this cake but with mint icing? Do you recommended just adding a teaspoon of peppermint essence into the icing? The recipient loves chocolate cake, and mint, so i am looking to combine the two and decorate with min aero bubbles.
Thanks
Charlotte
Hiya! Yes I would add mint extract in.. I would probably do 1.5tsps/2tsps though as its quite a large batch of icing! x
Ok great thank you!
I made your Caramac cake on the weekend and it was amazing. I loved the ganache on top – do you think I can put a dark chocolate ganache on top of this cake?
I’m going to make this exact sponge and icing (with mint essence) and then a ganache I think.
Thanks so much, love your recipes.
Charlotte
Yes that would work well! x
Hey Jane ?… I’ve made this recipe before and I love it!! Nicest chocolate cake ever… I’m just wondering could this be upscaled and made in a giant cupcake tin ? thanks xx
Hiya! You could try it, but I’m not sure how successfully it would come out of the tin because of its texture? And the cake batter itself is a lot thinner than a normal one. It’s worth a shot but I can’t guarantee it’ll work! ? x
Hey!! Thanks for your reply, I thought that too I might give it a trial run and see if not I’ll make a choc Madeira lol.. don’t need it to June so plenty of time to practise lol lol.. if it doesn’t then I’ll have lots of cake too eat ??
Hahaha yesss definitely! Let me know how you get on as I am intrigued! x
This is the yummiest chocolate cake I have ever had!!! I LOVE IT!!! My sister made this and I honestly ate about half the cake by myself lol! Should feel guilty but it’s too yummy to feel bad about!! lol!
Awh yaaayy! I am so glad!! x
Wow how mega indulgent! X
Lola Mia // http://www.lolitabonita.co.uk
Thank you, Lola! X
Hiya, is this cake strong enough to cover in fondant/sugarpaste? Thanks!
Hey! I’ve never tried it, but it’s very soft & moist so probably not? Sorry! x
Hi Jane,
Absolutely love your recipes and appreciate your help and inspiration.
I just wanted to ask whether I could use two 9″/23 cm cake tins for this recipe?
Thanks
Hey! You can indeed, the sponges will just be thinner and need less baking time 🙂 X
Thank you Jane 🙂
I decided to go and buy some 8″ tins too lol 🙂
I wanted to make this cake 2 days in advance so bake it on Tuesday to be cut into on Thursday.
Shall i bake the cake, decorate with frosting etc and store in the fridge?
or shall i bake the cake today (Tuesday) and make the frosting/decorate on Wednesday?
Also, should if I make the cake today, would i store it in the fridge or leave outside at room temp?
Many thanks in advance for your assistance. I really appreciate your help and advice.
I’m an amateur baker looking to bake something for red nose day 🙂
Ah yes, 8″ tins are better than 9″! I would bake the cakes on tuesday, and store them in an airtight container at room temperature, and then decorate on wednesday, and store at room temperature again. You only need to refrigerate the cakes for maybe 30 minutes before decorating, if the sponge is soft, but I made this cake today and just left it too cool and didnt need to refrigerate before decorating! 🙂 x
Made this cake today and it’s by far the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted. The cake is so moist, rich and full of flavour and the frosting is amazing. It’ll be my go to recipe from now on. Thank you 🙂
Awh that is SO amazing! I am so so glad you enjoyed it! x
I made this today as 3 layers and it came out divine. Thank you so much for you recipes x
Awh thats amazing! I am so glad! x
Is the taste of coffee strong in this cake? Im not a fan of coffee so would prefer to leave it out but would this have much of an effect on how the sponge will turn?
As mentioned in the comments before the recipe, you can’t taste the coffee at all, but it being there enhances the chocolate flavour, and you need the amount of liquid in there as well so it’s best to leave it in! X
I used this recipe for our Christmas Day pudding, and it went down a treat!! The cake is super moist and rich without being over indulgent! I made it two days ahead and it’s still going strong! Thanks for a great recipe 🙂
Awh yaaayy! I’m so so glad you like it and enjoyed it! ❤
I made this cake and it sunk 🙁
It was cooked all the way through so not sure what happened x
Chances are the temperature of your oven is incorrect, if a cake sinks it’s very rarely anything to do with the recipe or ingredients. Often it means it’s over done/underdone or the oven has an issue. Quite often, ovens are not the temperature you think they are so maybe get an oven thermometer to check?
Hey Jane. Tried the recipe and it sunk both times..?. What can I do?
The cake sunk? If it’s sunk it’s underdone
Can I make this cake and freeze it minus the icing?
Of course! 🙂
Hi! Looks amazing! Can I use whipping or heavy cream instead of the Evaporated Milk?
Thanks 🙂
You can but you won’t need nearly as much (and it won’t create the same flavour) but add 1tbsp at a time till you reach your desired consistency
I’ll try it! Thank you for the quick response!
Tried these as cup cakes, turned out fab, my daughter is very picky and is currently on her second of a fresh batch ?? thank you for the recipe xx
Ohh yay! That’s brilliant! 😀 x
Can I bake this ahead of time? If so, how would you suggest I store the cake layers until I decorate?
It depends how long ahead of time you want to bake it? Fresh is best really!
Hello I am thinking of making this cake for my sons birthday party but wanted to use a 11″ tin as there will be alot of people. Could you please tell me how much ingredients I will need? Thank you
Hiya I have never made one with this recipe that big so i wouldn’t know I’m afraid.. You could just try doubling it but you’d have to bake it on a really low temp for a very long time so that it bakes properly. X
Thank you so much for your help. This was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made!!!! X
Ahhh yay!! 🙂 I am so glad!! x
What depth are the tins you use for this cake?
The only ones I use for anything are deep ones 🙂
Ha ha ha – don’t try this when it’s 40 degrees in your kitchen! It tasted amazing, but the icing just melted right off! Thanks for sharing this recipe <3
Ohhh no haha definitely wouldnt work!! Refrigerate it and it’ll be fine! 🙂
Hi could I used condensed milk instead of evaporated? Thanks
Did you comment “Hi can you use condensed milk instead of evaporated milk and use less sugar? If so how much sugar would you use?” The other day? 🙂 you can use condensed milk but it is more sugary, I just wouldn’t use less powdered sugar! 🙂
Hi can you use condensed milk instead of evaporated milk and use less sugar? If so how much sugar would you use?
I wouldn’t really advise using less sugar as thats the powder that keeps the frosting thick – if you reduce it then you risk the frosting being extremely runny? However you can probably use condensed milk, but again the consistency might be different (and it’ll be more sugary!) 🙂
My My it certainly looks scrumptious, very tempted to try this recipe, have not baked in years, kids are now doing their stuff, passing it on to “MY Baker” ! Chocolate cake Lover
Hahah thank you! You definitely should bake again, you’ll wish you’d never stopped!
Hi Jane
I am making this cake for my nieces birthday but doing it in the 1 and 4 shaped tins size 14″ x 10″ 3deep how would you recommend to make this double the recipe or use the one recipe in each shape as I only have one tin of each number
Many thanks
Naeve
Hey – so I can’t remember the last time I baked into a number/letter shaped tin so I’m unsure of quantities – sorry!
I made this cake and cannot believe how moist and delicious it is. I brought some into work today and was told it was the best chocolate cake they had ever had by some of my colleagues and I have to agree with them. Thanks for this wonderful recipe,
Ohh I’m so glad!! Thank you for such lovely comments!! ❤️
I use buttermilk and coffee in my chocolate cake too.
OMG! that cake is gorgeous.
Ohh thank you so much! 🙂 x
Oh my goodness jane, another scrummy looking bake! I think it’s really interesting how you have done the frosting. I’m usually a buttercream kinda gal, and recently been experimenting with ganache. I may add this one to my list of things to try. Looks amazing! Hx
Aww thank you so much! 🙂 And same here, but I wanted to try something a little different with this one, its like a buttercream-ganache hybrid 😀 thanks! x
Ooh I think I will definitely be trying this next time I make something chocolatey 🙂 x
Awwh haha yay! Lemme know how you get on 🙂 x
Will do 🙂 x
How far in advance can I make the frosting? If I made and
kept in the fridge until needed, could I whip it up before
using to loosen it enough to spread? Or doesn’t it get that
“set”.
Thanks so much for your recipe page, cakes were always
too scientific before I discovered you 🙏
Hiya! You can make it in advance but you would need to remix it before using to fluff it up again! x
it’s killing me softly while reading this ( hahaha ). I always cannot resist chocolate cake. I wish I had a slice
Ohh same here, my weakness! 🙂 and thanks!